


A Dangerous Love

by indigowaves



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Descendants (Disney Movies) RPF
Genre: Fluff and Angst, I will add tags as I think of them, Mentions of Mal/Ben, Multi, My First Fanfic, Relationship(s), Uma and Mal Become Friends, VKs | Villain Kids (Disney), sort of like canon in the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-08 09:18:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19867198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigowaves/pseuds/indigowaves
Summary: Mal hasn't been feeling like herself lately. Every since moving to Auradon, she's had to keep up the act of being the perfect student, the perfect girlfriend, and worst of all, the perfect princess. After a fight with Ben, Mal decided to return to her roots and go back to the Isle of the Lost. There she makes some unlikely allies.What happens when her other friends come to try and rescue her?Will she and Ben reconcile?Or will a certain pirate catch her attention.





	1. Chapter 1

It was an absolute beautiful day at Auradon Prep. The sun was gleaming down at the few students who decided to spend their free period in the courtyard. Next to them was a small group of teens that decided to throw around a frisbee. Their sounds of laughter rang all around the secluded area. The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud in sight. In the distance, seabirds from a near-by ocean sang excitedly. The beautiful song mixed exquisitely with the sound of the band practicing in the distance. A slight breeze blew through the trees made an ideal temperature. This was a day that could make even the Evil Queen smile. It was entirely perfect. However, for Mal, the daughter of Maleficent, the day was anything but. She was currently trapped against a stone sculpture in the middle of the courtyard while a herd of reporters crowded her, making her feel as if she was suffocating.

“Mal! Are you excited for Cotillion?” said one journalist with a pressed brown suit. He thrust his microphone towards the annoyed girl. Mal wished she cared enough to answer.

“Who will you be wearing?” said another, this time a woman with a purple pantsuit and bob. To Mal, all of these reporter looked the same. All shoving their microphones and cameras in her face. To be honest, she was one second away from shoving those microphones right back at them. But of course Mal could do no such thing, especially now that she was a “good girl”. Instead she just smiled and nodded her head, choosing to not give anyone an answer.

“Mal look over here.”

“No, look over here.”

All the voices started to blur, along with her vision because of the flashes from the reporters cameras.

Mal couldn’t remember the last time she felt like herself. Right now, surrounded by a hoard of reporters, she’d never felt farther from it. For the past few months Mal had strived to be the perfect student, the perfect girlfriend, the perfect princess. And she was sick of it. She missed running around the Isle and causing mischief with her three best friends. She missed people running from them as soon as they came around the corner. They had the whole world at their fingertips. And what did they have now. Chemistry and Remedial Goodness classes. To be fair, there were some good things that Auradon offered. Her friends all seemed to fit in here, even if she didn’t. Mal had also made friends with heroes children, such as Doug, Jane, and Lonnie. She also found a love in Ben, the King of Auradon. At least she thought it was love. But lately, she didn’t know what was real. Instead of smiling at the thought of him a headache started forming. Mal was once again pulled from her thoughts when she felt a strong pair of arms around her.

“Hey, are you okay?” said her boyfriend Ben.

“Speak of the devil,” Mal thought as she forced a smile, “I’m totally fine, just a little overwhelmed that’s all.”

“Me too. I have to meet with Cinderella and Prince Charming tomorrow to discuss the venue for Cotillion. I also have tourney practice after lunch. And right now I have a council meeting, which I am late. I am so late. I’m so sorry Mal I have to go, but I’ll see you later for our lunch, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay, bye.” Ben kissed her lips softly. Ben quickly pulled away and left. Mal did her best to block out the annoying buzzing noise that the group of reporters seemed to emanate. However, Mal’s patience had very quickly run out. An evil thought ran through her head. She felt her eyes turn to a vibrant green, quickly changing from her regular dormant color. With a small flick of her hand all of the reporters disappeared. Mal turned around quickly to make sure no one had seen her little stunt. Ben would have a field day if she knew she was practicing magic. But at this point she was too tired to care. With a small smirk she left and headed to the main building,

* 

Mal was as still as she could be on the wooden board that Evie made her stand on. Behind her, Evie was tightening the gorgeous yellow and pastel blue that she was making for Cotillion. The soft material flayed out all around Mal, swaying with even the slightest moment. Mal stared at herself in the mirror. It was a beautiful dress, but it made her feel even less like herself. SHe gasped as Evie pulled the material even tighter around her waist.

“Eve, I can’t breath.” Mal choked out dramatically.

“Beauty is pain, as my mother always.” said Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen. She also happened to be Mal’s bestfriend. Because of her mother’s obsession with beauty, Evie was skilled in everything concerning beauty and cosmetics. Evie had seemed to find her talent in sewing. She was exceptional at it. In fact, she had become Mal’s designer, which was a big job considering all of the events she was required to attend. Evie was smiling and silently clapping at her latest work. Evie thought it was perfect. She looked up at Mal expecting the same reaction as her, but instead she found her best friend staring longingly at her forgotten leather jacket. “Is something wrong?”

“Don’t you ever miss being on the Isle.”

“God no. We have everything we could ever want here. Clean clothes, food, and most importantly it's safe. That’s more than we could ever get on that wretched place.”

“I guess you’re right.”  
“What else is bothering you.” Evie asked, as she could see something was still nagging at her.

“Nothing. There’s just been a lot on my mind lately. I mean, I have twenty events after Cotillion and I can’t even remember them. It’s just been really stressful.” Mal sighed.

“At least you have Ben to help you get through it, right?”

“I’m not to sure Eve.” Mal finally confessed.

Evie perked up her head in disbelief. She hadn’t realized that their relationship was going down hill. That could explain why Mal had seemed so different. Now that she was looking back at it, this explained a lot of her behavior the past few days. Always talking about the Isle. “What do you mean by that?”

“I don’t know E. It just feels like something has changed between us.” Mal spewed out. Mal forgot how good it could feel to just have some girl time. She felt as though she’d been holding this all to her chest. Mal good feel tears welling up her eyes as she thought of everything that has changed, “I mean, he’s so sweet and all but I can’t be myself around him. It’s like he only expects my good. It’s hard trying to be something your not twenty-four-seven. And recently, it’s been a burden to be around him.”

“Maybe you fell out of love with him.” Evie reasoned. She walked over to Mal and placed her hands on her friends shoulders. She could tell Mal had fallen out of love with the King. She was sad to see their relationship go, but at the moment, she was more concerned with Mal. Evie turned her friend around and pulled her into a tight hug.

Mal buried her face into the crook of her friends arm and closed her eyes. “No, I’m sure that’s not it.” Mal said.

Evie pulled back to look in Mal’s face, “Okay.” Evie then pulled her back into another tight hug, trying to convey to her friend that she truly cared about her, even if she didn’t say it in words. They stayed in that position for several minutes before Mal heard a beeping sound. It was the bell that indicated they had five minutes until lunch.

“Shit Evie! I have lunch with Ben in like five minutes and I forgot to cook. I’m so screwed.”

“It’s okay M, this is why we have…” she paused as she looked around for something on the table, “magic.” She held out to her the worn spell book.

“Thank you Evie, I’ll see you after lunch.” She said rushing out of the room.

“Wait Mal!” Evie said looking up and down at the dress the blonde haired teen had left on.

“Oh right,” Mal breathed out. She whispered a spell and her green magic engulfed her entire outfit, taking off the dress and changing into a simple black leather skirt and blue bloused.

“Have fun M.” Evie said as Mal was already leaving the room. Evie sighed sadly, wondering when her best friend would finally realize that she no longer loved Ben. All Evie wanted was for her best friend to be happy. Evie turned around and headed towards her perfectly made bed. She grabbed Mal’s dress and hung it up in the closet with a sad smile.

* 

Mal burst into the kitchen with no time to spare. She moved to the fridge so fast that she was certain she knocked a few pans over. She gathered the closest ingredients she could find, a simple can of strawberry jelly and an already open container of peanut butter on the counter.

“God I hope he doesn’t notice,” Mal prayed. She turned on her heels and made a beeline for the pantry, where the bread was. She then headed straight for counter where she had once made the love potion cookies with Evie, Carlos, and Jay. She laid out the ingredients and then quickly assembled an almost pathetic peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Mal stared at the sandwich a noise coming from the back of her throat that resembled a mix between a whimper and disgust.

“Oh well, it’ll have to do.”

Mal opened her spell book and flipped the pages, looking for a spell that would successfully make this one item into the most delicious lunch Ben had ever tasted. “Ah ha! Here it is,”she put a finger to the spell, making sure she was on the right line, “If you’re out of time have no fear, turn this item into a three course meal.” Mal watched amazed as her one sandwich turned into trays of finger sandwiches. Bowls of soup appear. Platters with cheeses and fruit morphed right in front of her. And finally, a gigantic roast appear.

“Sweet Circe I love magic.” Mal hastily packed their lunch into a picnic basket. She prayed to all the villains in the land that this would go smoothly. What Mal forgot that was she packed her spell book in the basket, the very one that was supposed to be in the museum.


	2. Chapter 2

When Mal got to her and Ben’s special spot, her boyfriend was already at the table. His fingers were interlocked and his chin was rested upon them. His brown locks were pushed to the side and gelled back. He was wearing a pressed blue suit, the one that Mal recognized to be his formal suit. Ben has worn that very thing on many business occasions. While he looked very appealing, Mal thought he looked very rigid for a casual date.

Mal was so preoccupied looking at Ben that she wasn’t paying attention to her surrounded. She took another step forward. Her foot ended up landing on a thick branch. The wood instantly snapped, making the crackling sound seem as though it filled up the entire secluded area. Ben perked his head up instantly. His mouth split into a wide grin as he moved to greet her. Mal had a small blush on her face from being caught spying. Mal picked up her pace to get to the table. It was the very place that the villain and the now king had their first date. When she got there, Ben took the picnic basket and pulled the chair out for her.

“Ever the gentlemen.” Mal thought as she kissed Ben’s cheek. She sat down in the cushioned chair and worked to set the table. Luckily Ben had already set out the plates and utensils. She carefully placed the sandwiches on the china plate. Mal then carefully disrupted the soup into the bowls. Lastly, she worked on cutting the roast beef. Mal inwardly smirked at the thought that this meal started off as a pitiful sandwich.

“Wow Mal, this looks great!” exclaimed Ben as he sat down.

Mal choose to not respond, instead just smiling and passing him a piece of meat. Ben excited started eating. Mal hoped it would taste good or at least like a real meal. She took a piece herself and sit in on the expensive plate. It was beautifully crafted. Purple and yellow watercolor flowers bloomed off the side of the plate. It circled all around the exterior of the china. Ben’s was slightly different, making Mal believe these were hand made. Even the silverware looked to be expensive.

“So, Mal, what have you been up too. I mean, we haven’t been spending enough time together.”

“I mean, mostly preparing for Cotillion. It seems to be a REALLY big deal around here and I just want to impress everyone. Other than that, nothing much.” Mal answered, all while taking a bite out of the roast. It was surprising delicious. “Thank god.” she said in a volume that was barely a whisper.

Ben didn’t seem to hear her as she continued, “Well all you have to do it sit there and look beautiful. That should be no problem.” Ben compliment, recalling the same words he said to Mal right before his coordination.

“Thanks Ben. You always seem to know what to say.”

Ben seemed content with that answer as he too turned to the food. Mal watched him intently as he put the beef in his mouth, quickly following the bite with a spoonful of soup. Mal felt relieved when she saw him eyebrows raise and eyes widen as he swallowed. He raised his fork back to his mouth to take another bite.

The couple sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. It really was an ideal spot for a date. The scenery was indescribable and the soft trickle of the waterfall was really calming. The pond that surrounded the gazebo was crystal clear. Mal could no longer see the glowing rock she once threw in, but she could see tropical fish swim through the water. An old bridge was above the beautiful water. It was right next to a bush that was prematurely changing for the fall. The soft yellow and orange mixed with the fiery red stood out against the lush green. It really was a beautiful sight.

In an attempt to spark up some more conversation Mal grabbed a sandwich that was warmed up from being next to the soup, “Would you like a hot horderve?” Mal laughed as she leaned over to feed the King.

“I most certainly would.”

“How was it? Did you like it?” Mal questioned. Even though the roast beef and soup was delicious, Mal still didn’t know how well the sandwich tasted. She had high hopes for it, but she was still nervous as Ben chewed the finger sandwich.

“Mmm. That was good,” Ben said as he took another spoonful of soup, “not just that,” as he leaned over to take another, “It’s totally good.” Ben licked his fingers clean. Mal smiled at the action, as it reminded her that Ben was still a regular teenager.

“Really Mal, this is amazing. This is like every single dish Mrs. Pots made for my parents at their infamous stay at my father’s castle. How long did it take you? Like three days? ” Ben questions as he once again reached for another sandwich.

“Ya know, I couldn’t even tell you.” Mal shrugged. She reached for one herself and was impressed by the taste. It really was scrumptious.

Ben suddenly got serious, “It means a lot that you stopped and did all of this for me,” Mal’s face fell at the sudden exclamation. She was starting to feel guilty at tricking Ben. She was just about to confess when Ben continued, “Especially with all the craziness you've been put through. I missed you. We don’t get much time to be just us anymore.” Mal looked deeply into Ben’s eyes. She started to lean in when she noticed Ben had a piece of meat on the side of his mouth. She stretched out her hand to wipe it off. Ben realized what she was doing and lifted his hand up to finish the job.

He laughed, “I guess you can’t take me anywhere. Do you have a napkin or something.”

“Oh yeah it should be here somewhere, maybe in…” Mal trailed off as she saw his hand reach in the picnic basket. She just realized that she had left her now banned spellbook in the basket. Ben was not supposed to know she was still practicing magic. In fact, he was the one to tell her she was allowed to continue with the spells.

“No no I got it… Mal what the fuck is this?” Ben all but growled. Usually Mal would have gotten mad at his tone, but she was too ashamed to say anything.

“Oh I just packed that in case it rained or something.” Mal tried to lie, but she was quickly caught as he started flipping through the pages of the worn leather spell book. Mal had a bad habit of folding the top of the pages so she remembered what spell she needed. Ben could see all the spells she had been using.

“Speed reading spell. Blonde hair spell. Cooking spell.” Ben said with a hurt look on his face, “and here I was giving you props for fitting in so well, but all you’ve been doing is faking.”

Mal had been boiling since Ben had risen here voice to her, but this just sent her over the edge. Here she was, trying so hard to please everyone, and he had the indecency of insulting her, when she had so much to adjust too. Mal understood that she shouldn’t have lied, but she would never let anyone talk to her this way. “It has been so hard Ben. Forgive me for using a little magic.” Mal snapped, her face was flushed and she had started to grind her teeth, a bad habit she had picked up in the past few months at Auradon.

“It’s been hard for me too Mal. Do you think it’s easy learning to be King and jug-a-ling school work. I thought we agreed to not keep secrets from each other Mal. I don’t even know who you are anymore.” Ben shout, increasing in volume. It was lucky they were in a very secluded area or else everyone at Auradon Prep would be able to hear this vicious fight.

“I don’t either.” Mal spat.

“The least you could do is try. You can’t just do anything you want. This isn’t the Isle of the Lost.”

Mal felt the tears filling up in her eyes, “Trust me, I know.” She was trying. Mal was trying so hard, but maybe she shouldn’t anymore. It seemed to be all for nothing. Mal turned around abruptly, not sure where she was going. All she knew was that she wanted to be away from here, away from Ben. As she was walking away, Mal felt the tears start to stream down her face. She hastily wiped the tears away. Some got into her mouth. She tasted the salty water on her tongue. Mal hated crying, especially when it was over a stupid jerk. It made her walk faster. If she had only stayed for a minute longer, Mal might have heard the King calling her name. She might’ve seen the look of regret and hurt cross his face. But for now, all she could do was walk, letting her feet take her and not really knowing where she was going.

* 

Mal burst through the doors of her and Evie’s dorm room. That conversation they had just a little under two hours ago had seemed like a lifetime ago. She hoping that Evie would be there so she could tell someone about her very recent fight with Ben. Mal recalled what Evie had said in the morning.  
“Maybe I have fallen out of love with him.”Mal thought with a shudder. From the moment it crossed her mind she knew it was true. “Maybe I never was to begin with.” This proved to be too much for the reformed villain. Mal broke down sobbing again, thinking of all the time she had been lying to herself. She had been so unhappy for these past few months on Auradon. Mal trudged over to her unmade and messy bed. She collapsed on the soft mattress and wrapped herself in the purple comforter. They had just been washed. The warm temperature and fresh smell was making it very hard for Mal to not doze off. But she refrained, not wanting to just fall asleep. Instead, she turned to lay on her back and survey the room as she has done so many times before.

It was a beautiful room, with exquisite curtains and soft rugs. Not to mention her four poster bed. But while it was amazing, she missed her dingy apartment she once had on the Isle. It was like a haven for her, a place she and her friends could go to escape her parents. The walls very littered with graffiti. That’s where home is, not this fake room. Mal sat up, wishing she could go back to island she had called home for the majority of her life.

As Mal looked around the room some more her eyes landed on the forgotten leather jacket for the second time today. Mal got up and moved over to where it was, on a door handle to Mal’s almost never used closet. For the first time in a while, Mal opened to door. She started rummaging around until she found what she was looking for, her old outfit; the one she used to wear almost every day. She shimmied out of her leather skirt and put on the worn jeans, splattered with green and purple paint. She then took off her annoying top and replaced it with a simple black tank top. Lastly, Mal topped it off with her signature leather jacket. Mal turned and looked in the mirror next to her bedside. Mal forgot how good this outfit looked on her. It hugged her figure perfectly and brought out her green orbs. Although she still had the magic induced blond hair, Mal had never felt more like herself.

“That’s more like it.” Mal breathed out. It felt good to be back.

A realization crossed Mal’s mind. With her mother’s spell book and new scooter Ben had gotten her, she didn’t have to stay at Auradon. Hopefully she could go home. Mal smiled and walked over to Evie’s desk where she saw a piece of paper and discarded pencil. Mal started on a goodbye letter to her three best friends. She couldn’t leave them with no explanation of where and why she was going. Mal hoped they would understand and maybe forgive her one day, if she ever decided to come back, although she doubted it. Mal shed a few more tears at the thought of leaving them here, but she knew that she this was something she had to do.

There was one last thing Mal had to do. She a little cardboard box that had also been on the desk and used her magic to float Evie’s fabric scissors into her hand. “I don't belong here.” Mal said as she took the scissors like she would a knife and punctured the lid of the box.  
She got up once more. This time, however, she walked to the side of her bed where a cage was placed. She reached her hand it and picked up her mother, once the fear Maleficent, and put her in the box. After Ben’s coronation, Maleficent had been reduced to the size of love in her heart, which was why she was now an almost pitiful lizard. With her mother secured Mal said a silent goodbye to the room she would sort of miss, if only for the memories she had made in it. Mal took the scooter by her door and walked out of the room, hopefully to never see it again.

“Come on Mom, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

* 

Mal sat perched on the scooter. Ahead of her was the ocean that separated Auradon from the Isle of the Lost. Although the island was in sight, the water made the distance seem so much greater. Strapped to Mal were the only two possessions she would bring back home:her mother, and her mother’s spellbook. The magic wouldn’t work on the Isle, but it would be useful for the trip up ahead.

Mal took her spell book and rifled through the pages, looking for something that would help her. At last she found a spell that would do the trick.

“Aha, here’s one. _Noble stead, proud and fair, you shall take me anywhere_.” Mal felt her magic course through here entire body with that incantation.

“Hopefully this works,” Mal prayed as she revved up her engine. She placed her goggles on her eyes once again and hit the gas pedal. She silently screamed as she was hurtled towards the deep and dangerous water. It was a miracle when she started bouncing up and down on the water. Mal smirked. Her spell had worked and she was on her way home, where she could finally be herself again. Right at this moment with Auradon behind her and the wind in her hair, Mal had never felt more free.

Little did she know people where going crazy looking for her and Auradon, and an old foe was planning her revenge on the Isle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I know these past chapters have been a bit boring, but don't worry, we'll be getting into the drama real soon. Please comment your thoughts and/or suggestions for the upcoming chapters.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think I've decided that I'm going to be updating my story every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. That way I have more time to write the chapters and make better content for you guys.
> 
> Sadly, I don't Descendants or any characters. That belongs to Disney

Ben sat at his dark wood desk. His papers were scattered across it. Ben started down at them in disgust. Anything seemed more appealing that reading and signing legal documents. Ben pushed his chair out ever so slightly, giving his cramped legs more room to move. He had been sitting at this desk far to much the past few weeks. Ben once again picked up his pen in a feeble attempt to get back to work. But alas, it was all for nothing. He threw his hands up in frustration, dropping the pen and letting out a frustrated huff. Ben spun his chair around, not caring if it would scuff up the floors. He turned around to look out of the window. 

The view was amazing. It looked down on Auradon Prep’s courtyard. Usually, the King’s office would be in the Main Castle but because Ben was still a student, he was able to get it moved for the time being. He still had two more years of school before he could rule full time. Ben was grateful for the window. It let out an exorbitant amount of sunlight, the only natural light in the dark room. He could see the trees and the sky. He could see his more normal classmates enjoying the pleasures of young adulthood without any responsibility. And if he looked far enough he could just make out his and Mal’s usual date spot.

Ben couldn’t get Mal out of his head. He felt so guilty about the way he acted early. Yes, Mal shouldn’t have used magic to make things easier, but he acted way out of line. She was having a hard time adjusting to life on Auradon. The press has been very overwhelming recently. It was Cotillion. He really couldn’t blame her for using the magic at her disposal. 

“This is ridiculous,” Ben mutter, rising up from the chair, “I should just go apologize. This is just one small fork in the road.” Hopefully, they could put this behind them and Ben could get rid of the nagging feeling of guilt that seemed to be poking him in the side. He started towards the door, already planning his apology, when he heard a knock. He quirked an eyebrow, wondering if that was Mal who had come to make the first move. His mouth raised in a half smile. This just got a lot easier.

“Come in.” Ben said in a sing-song voice

“Hey Ben, I have some bad news.”

Ben’s face fell when he heard the familiar voice, though it wasn’t from the purple haired girl he wanted to see. Instead it was from Mal’s blue haired best friend, Evie. The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Evie was panting, presumably from a run. She was clutching something in her hands, her knuckles were turning white. Ben couldn’t see what the object. He turned his attention away from the object and moved his brown orbs to met Evie’s face. 

“Evie, I’m sorry, but I really don’t have time for this. I have to go see Mal.” Ben walked over to where his leather shoes were stationed in the corner. The King got down on one knee to put them on. He untie the laces and stuck his foot on top of the cushioned soles. He stood up and turned around. The expensive suit Ben had worn to the date had rumpled. He lowered his hand to smooth the wrinkles out of his pants. He turned on his heels and spun around to meet Evie again.

“It has something to do with her.” 

Worry flashed across Ben’s face. Why would something be bad with Mal? The worst scenarios started to flash across his mind. Was she hurt? Did her Mom somehow return to human form and use her magic to somehow kidnap Mal and she was currently destroying everything? Or worst of all, did Mal send Evie to break up with him? Ben parted his mouth slightly as look of shock quickly appeared on his face that replace the worry. His lip started trembling and his skin above his eyebrow shone with sweat. Ben opened his mouth to speak and when he did, the words started to tumble out.

“Please Evie don’t do this. Let me talk to her first. I know I made a mistake but  _ please _ , don’t let her break up with me. I- I love her and I’ll do anything for her to take me back.” Ben all but cried out.

Now it was Evie’s turn to look shocked. She raised her right brow, making slight creases in her forehead. She could almost hear her mother warning her about wrinkles. But that wasn’t the point. What the hell had Ben been talking about? She made a mental note to ask later. Evie had a mission, and that was to get her best friend back. So she scowled and wrinkled her nose and got ready to confront the King.

“Look I don’t what the fuck your talking about, and you best believe I’m going to find out soon, but we have bigger problems on our hands,” Evie huffed as she uncrumpled the now visible piece of paper from her hand, “ Mal went back to the Isle.”

If Ben was shocked before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. He had expected the worst, but it never even occurred to him that she would return to the island. He reached out to grab the piece of paper. He could just make out Mal’s tiny writing. Ben turned around and started on a slow walk towards his desk. He leaned down by the front and placed the piece down, doing his bets to smooth it out. When it was legible, he began to read in a quiet whisper.

_ Dear Evie (or whoever find this), _

_ I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I left without an explanation. I hope that this letter can give you some solace. To be honest, I’ve been thinking about doing this for a long time. I just don’t think I’ve had the courage to admit it to myself. Since we moved here I’ve been so unhappy. It’s had nothing to do with you or anyone really. It feels like I’ve lost a key part of myself, and one that I can’t live without. I can’t pretend to be the perfect “good girl” anymore. I can’t pretend to be something I’m not for the rest of my life. The talk I had with you and the recent fight I had with Ben really put things in perspective. The simple fact is: I don’t belong here and I never will. I need to go back to my roots and find myself again. It's just something that needs to be done. Evie, my dear friend, goodbye. I don’t want you to come looking for me. You fit in so well at Auradon. You have talent. You have friends. You have love. You are happy. I want you to continue to be happy. Same goes for the boys. I hope I’ll see you again, some day. And Ben, if this letter finds you, it wasn’t you. You’ve been doing your best. We just don’t belong. _

_ Love, _

_ Mal _

“This can’t be happening. How do we even know she went to the Isle. She could’ve been talking about something else.” Ben started breathing heavily, trying to deny the fact that Mal had abandoned him. 

Evie looked down at the sad boy and she felt a pang in her heart. She walked over to him and wrapped his hands in hers, doing her best to comfort him. It was awkward at first, considering the two have never been close, but they both loved Mal. 

“That’s not it.” Evie said as she started fishing around in her pocket. She pulled out something and held it tightly in a fist. She walked over to where Ben was leaning, his head in his hands. He looked up at her in a mix or sadness and curiosity. Evie unraveled her finger, revealing the King’s ring, the very one that he had given to her a few minutes before his coronation. With A shaky hand, Ben took it from Evie’s palm. It was then that Ben really understood the severity of the situation. Mal had run off, with no intention to come back. He had to fix this.

“This is all my fault. I never should have yelled at her.”

Evie silently agreed. Evie felt slight sadness for the Ben. She had known that Mal had fallen out of love with the king, but she never expected Mal to act so drastically. She also couldn’t have felt guiltiness for planting the ideas in Mal’s head. However, she quickly shook it off, remembering that it would’ve happened sooner or later. The most important thing was that they got Mal back form that wretched place.

Fortunately, Ben seemed to have the same idea. “I have to go get her back.”

“I have to come with you. You don’t know how the Isle works. You’ll be eaten alive.” Evie reasoned. Ben was going to object, but with more thought, he realized she was probably right. He needed to be alive to save Mal.

“Okay, let’s go right now.”

“Not so fast Mister. First, your going to explain all of the shit that went down at your little date. Second, we need to go get Jay and Carlos. We are going to need all the help we can get.” Evie said with authority. Her arms crossed and a stern was on her face. Ben thought that it was best not to object and took a deep breath, as to start a very long story.

*****

Carlos and Jay were doing nothing but relaxing on the little free time they had before tourney practice. Coach had been drilling them extra hard because of the upcoming game against one of their biggest rivals, Atlantis Hall. Their legs were sore and their stomachs hurt from being pushed to the ground so many times. Although, the work was paying off. The two boys have gotten much for muscular through the past few weeks, a fact that their girlfriends very much enjoyed. Carlos sat with his legs up on his tidy bed. He was staring at the TV directly across from his bed room. Dude was next to him on the bed. Dude was the campus mutt that Carlos had unofficially adopted. Being the son of Cruella de Vil, Carlos had been taught from a very young age to hate dogs. However, that all changed when he got to Auradon. Now Carlos loved Dude more than anything. 

Jay too sat on his bed, with one leg under the covers and one leg hanging off the side. He was tossing the remote up and down, in an attempt to fend complete boredom. A pile of late homework sat by his side, but of course, he would rather face his father Jafar rather than do any of it. He tossed the remote up once more when he heard a very loud banging noise. He focused his attention to the door, forgetting about the remote that was airborne. It landed very hard on his face and hit him squarely in the noise. Jay groaned in pain as it was another body part that would be sore. Carlos would have been laughing at his friend, if not for the fact that the noise had startled him so much he fell off the bed with a shriek. He slowly got up from the floor and looked at the door, to see where the noise had come from.

The two boys were both surprised to see Ben and Evie at the door. The door seemed to be fine, but upon closer inspection it looked like the hinges had been broken. From the look on Ben’s face, they both guess that Ben had unleashed the beast and knocked the door down.

“Hey Beastie Boy,” Jay said with his usual charm and arrogance, “I know your excited to see us, but no need to go busting down my door. I have plenty of ladies to do that.” Jay said with a sly smile.

All three teens rolled their eyes at Jay’s statement. “You don’t want Lonnie hearing you talking like that, do you Jay?” teased Carlos.

Jay visibly gulped at that statement. Lonnie, the daughter of Mulan, was Jay’s girlfriend and every bit of badass as her mother, Jay definitely didn’t want to be at the wrong end of her sword.

Carlos turned back to the usual pairing at the door. He didn’t even know they were friendly. Their only common factor was the purple haired and green eyed teen. 

“Wheres Mal?” Carlos asked. In fact, this whole situation seems a little strange. When he saw the king and his blue haired best friend share a strange look, he knew something was wrong. And Jay saw it too. This time, it was Jay who decided to speak up.

“What’s wrong.” 

Evie looked at Ben and nodded. She took a step closer to the two boys. Never in all her years would Evie had thought that she’d be in this position right now. Sweet Circe this was insane. Yet she took a deep and got ready to drop the bad news.

“Mal’s gone back to the Isle. She left this one my desk.” Evie once again pulled out the wrinkled piece of paper. She handed it to Carlos, who moved closer to Jay that he could see too. Evie watched as their faces fell. She could’ve swore she saw a tear from Carlos drip down onto the letter. Jay just looked shocked. He never really was the one for outward emotions. Even if that was the case it didn’t stop him from lifting his face and saying the very words the four were thinking.

“Holy shit.” It was barely audible. Evie, Ben, and Carlos all nodded to Jay’s declaration. They knew that this situation wasn’t good. Mal was across the sea, all the way at the Isle. How did she even get there? It wasn’t like she had known where the magic button to open the barrier was, much less have the time to find it. Evie shrugged it off. That wasn’t important right now. The only thing that mattered was Mal. They needed to get her home, and quick. She had made a lot of enemies on the island. Probably more since she had moved to Auradon. She wasn’t safe there. 

Jay was the first one who decided to speak up after a few moments of awkward silence. “So what’s the plan?” He stopped as he looked up at Evie’s shocked face, “What? We are not listening to Mal’s bullshit about ‘not coming after her’. You guys came here to get our help in bringing Mal back. Right Carlos?” He said, gesturing to the white haired boy on his left. Carlos responded with a silent nod. 

“Okay, when do we leave.” Jay said with confidence. He starting crumpling up the paper in a tight ball and throwing it in an underhand toss to Evie, who clutched it to her chest. She started smiling. With all of them there, surely they would be able to convince Mal to come back home, right?

Ben cleared his throat, not expecting to convince Jay and Carlos so easily. He really didn’t have all of the kinks worked out, but he wanted to apologize to Mal as soon as possible. “I was thinking right now.”

Carlos looked at Jay and then back at Evie. They all seemed to communicate without words. Carlos was the one to speak up first.

“I’m good with that.”

“I’m down.”

“Let’s go get Mal back.” Evie said ecstatic, clapping her hands in an excited fashion.

They all started towards the door with a new swagger in their steps. They were all determined to get their friend back to where she rightfully belong, right here in Auradon. What they didn’t know was that Mal was having the time of her life on the Isle, with no intention of coming back. Maybe convincing her to return to Auradon wasn’t going to be as simple as the three VKs and the King thought.

*

Mal had just arrived at the entrance of the Isle. Her hair was crazy and wind blown. It tumbled down her shoulder, all curled and knotty. Her leather jacket also had beads of water from the trip over. Mal was just grateful she hadn’t submerged in the water. Her pants were sprayed with light mist from the ocean trip. Although Mal was slightly damp, she had never felt more alive. She took off her goggles and helmet so she could get a better look of her surroundings. The cobblestone arc that was stationed at the front entrance was crumbling. Mal was surprised that it was still standing. She smiled. Now this was home. She had missed this. Mal took her protective gear and threw it off to the side, she wouldn’t be needing this anymore. Mal revved up the engine of her motorized scooter and sped forward, once again feeling the wind in her hair.

As Mal drove down the streets of her home, she was surprised to see almost nothing has changed. Garbage littered the street, making an unpleasant smell. Mal Wrinkled her nose. She had never liked the odor, but it was something that she could live with if it meant she was free. She saw the same stores and tents. To the left, she saw a purple M spray painted on a yellowing tent. She smiled, remembering that day. It was right before she and her three best friends were sen to go live on Auradon. It seemed crazy that that was almost six months ago. She was just happy to be back.

She saw the same venders that she and Jay would steal from, trying to please their parents. It was so much fun. Mal missed the power of just being able to look at someone and have them running in fear. She sighed. She would once again be able to rule this place. The very thought excited her. 

As Mal continued to drive, she began to notice more and more before coming out from their homes to catch a glance of her. The civilians recognized her signature leather jacket. Most of them ran away in fear, but some stayed. They took out their weapons and pointed them at her. Mal guessed they were trying to intimidate her. She felt her blood start to boil. No one was going to try and control her with fear. She felt her eyes change to manipulative green and her middle finger rose. If they weren’t already running, they were now. Many smirked evilly. She could get used to this.

Mal keep riding for a few minutes just taking in the scenery. She saw a few familiar faces. Maybe they were servants or fellow VKs. Either way, she hadn’t bothered to learn their names. After a few more minutes on her scooter, Mal finally found what she was looking for. She swung her legs of the vehicle and covered it with a tarp. Hopefully she hide it well enough.  _ Anything  _ left on the street was fair game on the Isle, and Mal wasn’t taking any chances. Many eyes were on her as she got off. She gave them her best intimidating glare. Mal stood up and shook off the soreness from her legs. She then tried to quickly untangle her hair. It worked, sort of. Mal was reading to walk to her destination when she saw a familiar sign. It was a cartoon poster of her and Ben, trying to promote goodness to the villains. She had always hated that poster. However, it wasn’t the poster that caught her eye. Some had drawn a fake mustache on Ben, gave him an eye patch, and blacked out a few teeth. Mal snickered to herself. 

“What an amature.” She thought. It wasn’t the drawing on Ben that made her stop. It was on her. While it wasn’t and stupid drawings or doodles, it was something so much worse. Someone had thought it would be funny to write good girl on her side of the poster. Mal’s eyes turn green once again, but this time it was from anger. She had to do something big to prove that she wasn’t some reformed good girl that everyone thought her to be. She walked down to the poster and torn it down. Mal then proceed to rip it up into tiny pieces. She turned around and looked directly at the small crowd that form behind her. She a step to them, not backing down.

“Let’s make one thing clear, the queen is back. And she’s more evil than ever. SO spread the word. Got that.” She barked at the poor crowd. They all nodded furiously. “Well go on.” Mal snarled, waving them away with her hand. When everyone was gone, she took the torn pieces and threw them down on the ground. She couldn’t contain her anger anymore. She stomped on the paper viciously. Thank god no one was here to witness her little outburst. She could almost hear her mother scolding her about being controlled.

“ _ No one will respect a little brat who can’t control her temper. _ ” Maleficent's voices traveled through her head. She squeezed her eyes until it was over. As much as she hated to admit it, she was right. She had to be cold, calculated. And that was exactly what she would be.

Many walked over to the edge of the Isle. When she looked down, she could just see the water. She turned away quickly. She knew what hugged the coast of the Isle. Sharks, Alligators, and worst of all, Ursula. She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with any of them. Instead she looked up at the dent yellow sign. It read: **DANGER! BEWARE FLYING ROCKS!** Mal had always enjoyed the irony that the sign had to offer. She placed her hand on the barrel to the right of her. She grasped a piece of old concrete that had been left there. Mal had gripped the rock so hard she could feel it cutting into her skin. Mal pulled her arm back, then brought it forward very quickly. She had thrown the rock directly at the sign, leaving another dent in the sign. Mal had to wait a moment before the disguise would start to reveal itself. As she was thinking, mal heard the familiar sound of metal and wires squeaking. At once, the iron bars shield was lifted, revealing a set of long winding stair. Mal ran up them, eager to get back to her once secret hideout.

Oh how she had missed this place. This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment and/ or any suggestions you have for the upcoming chapters. See you next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Mal sat in her old go-to hangout spot. It was cold and damp, just as she remembered it. It had gathered a sheen of dust over most of the furniture. Mal didn care though, she was just happy to be back. This place brought back so many memories. The long nights when she was hiding from her mother. The games played with her best friends. There was one particular memory that always had a special place in her heart.

_ It was late at night, Mal guessed it was around midnight. Despite the late hour, the Isle was still loud. The sounds of fights and glasses breaking never really seemed to go away. But thatś what happens when someone lives on an Isle full of villains. The noises failed to bother them though. They had grown accustomed to them. They noises and lights kept the group up, along with the cheap alcohol that Jay nabbed from his father’s stash. They had been slowly downing the whole bottle throughout the night. It could’ve been a result of the drinking game Evie came up with. One member of the group would ask a question, and if someone had done that specific thing, they had to take a drink. Because of the abundance of adventures the group had, many drinks were taken. _

_ The group sat in a circle on the cold, hard floor. Their butts were sore from sitting on the rough surface for the entire night. They were too drunk to notice though, and too drunk to care. It was Carlos’s time to ask the question. _

_ “Never have I ever stolen something.” Carlos said with a twisted grin, knowing that every person in the room had at least once. The four friends all went to grab the bottle of whiskey. When all of their hands touch, they burst out laughing. Anything seemed funny at that point. After a few minutes of giggling, the friends sat back up and hugged their stomachs. It hurt in a good way. Ot was the feeling of childhood. The feeling of happiness. The one the group did not get to experience that feeling often. And it was nice. _

_ After the few minutes on the floor, the quartet was ready to continue. This time, only Carlos reached for the bottle. He quickly unscrewed the red cap and poured an ample amount into the clear plastic cup. He ten passed it to his left, right to Mal. She also poured a heavy amount into the cup. The group passed the glass bottle counter-clockwise until all of the glasses were filled about three-quarters of the way up. They had yet to take the shot, _

_ “Okay guys, are you ready.” Mal started, “1-2-3, go!” They all tilted their heads back at the same moment, letting the liquid run down their throats. Despite doing this same thing for the past few hours, the alcohol never failed to back the back of their throats burn. Mal and Evie started gagging, while Jay just sat there, rapidly shaking his head from side to side. It was a feeble attempt to get the burning to stop. Carlos started running around like a chicken with its head cut off. If you could even call it running. Carlos was so out of it that it was more like quick stumbling. It wasn’t surprising that he fell not even a minute later. The group shot their heads up, checking to see if he was okay. Even in this extremely dreamy state, they still had to make sure each one of them was safe. They all felt a sense of relief when they saw Carlos reach his hand out, presumably to grab something to pull himself up with. It seemed lucked was not on his side that day, as he grabbed Mal’s rickety shelf full of spray paint can. When Carlos grabbed it the old wood board snapped. Not only did Carlos go down hard, but he came back up with a colorful head. It seemed that Mal’s painted sprayed all over him, effectively dying his usually white locks. _

_ Carlos turned, still on the floor, to look at the remaining three teenagers. His whole head was covered in the bright color, someone them where dripping down his face. He looked at them with his usual nervous expression. His eyes were wider than normal, probably because the color was nearing his mouth. This proved to be too much for the VKs, as this sent them into waves of hysteria for the second time that night. _

Mal smiled fondly at the memory. It was still one of her favorite memories with her friends. She remembered the feeling of laughing so hard she felt like her stomach could burst. She also remembered that Carlos couldn’t get the color out for almost a week. He had gotten many lectures from his mother because of that. God that seemed like ages ago. It had only been a couple months before Ben called for them to be transferred to Auradon. A wave of sadness overcame Mal when she thought of how has changed in the past few months. However, she quickly shook it off, choosing to look back on all the fun times they had, rather than overthink anything.

Mal looked around the quaint room. She stopped when she saw her spray paints in the far right corner. They were balanced perfectly on the still broken board. She had never gotten around to fixing it. Mal took a few tentative steps toward them, as if she was scared to knock them over. Maybe she was. After a few more steps, she had finally reached the pyramid of colors. Sh reached out her hand to grab her favorite colors: green and purple. She rolled them over in both of her hands, some color staining her hands. Mal shook the two containers, trying her best to feel the contents. They fell almost empty, but they would do for now. Mal made a mental note to go down to the market later and scare some people into giving her the paints for free.

Mal took a few long strides towards the exit of her space. She was almost there when she turned around sharply. She slapped herself on the head lighty. How could she have stupid? She almost forgotten something important. She walked briskly towards the cabinet. She grabbed the most important: black. It served as the main color for her most famous piece of artwork, the one that she planned to paint on every single nook and cranny of the shabby island. That way, people would know who was really in charge. Mal cackled quietly to herself. Man it felt good to be back. She shoved the three colors into the purple satchel that she found in the color of the room. She threw the bag over her shoulder and smiled evilly. She walked to the exit and slid down the concealed metal pole. It always made her feel badass to exit that way. And the ride never failed to make her feel better. Mal dismounted and walked over the black tarp hanging from the wall. She quickly pulled it to the side, where it revealed a hidden tunnel. Mal all but ran through it, excited to go out and cause some mischief, unbeknownst to the planning on the other side of the Isle, and her friends foolishly coming to retrieve her soon.

*

Uma, the daughter of Ursula, sat at a wooden table. her chin rest on her hand. She was in her mother’s sea food shop, watching on of the only TV’s on Isle. Uma speculated that’s why the restaurant was so popular to the locals, not because of the food, but because of the television. It could also have to do with the fact her mother was a giant sea demon with tentacles that would rip you in half, but Uma choose to believe it was because of the first reason. It was simpler that way. Uma sucked in a deep breath. Her life had been very stressful lately. It didn’t help that her mother made her take extra shifts at  **Hooks and Tentacles Sea Food Emporium** . Uma rolled her eyes at the name. She had always thought it was a bit over the top, but hey, that was their parents.The work was grueling, and without pay. And not to mention the smell of rotten fish that seemed to cling to her dark skin after every shift. She was currently enjoying her only break, even if it was only for a few minutes. 

Uma’s eyes once again shifted back to the TV, her blue locks swishing against her back. In front of her, a plate of freshly made fries was hot and ready. She quickly grabbed out to snatch them, before anyone else took them. She eagerly grabbed one of the crisp pieces of potato, one of the only good items on the menu. It was salted to perfection and cooked just right. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that good, but it was the only thing Uma had eaten all day. She quickly swallowed and reached for another. Each bite was better than the last. She took her time enjoying the french fries when she heard a familiar voice on the TV. She snapped her head up to see what the offending noise was, hoping that it wouldn’t be who she thought it was. The now blond priss was on the TV too much for Uma’s liking. Uma looked up to be met with the image of Mal, her former nemesis. She started to feel her blood boil as she saw her laugh next to the freaking King of Auradon. It wasn’t fair. Uma closed her eyes, trying to block Mal out of her mind, when she saw the color red. Uma reached out to grab the remaining fries, squeezing them so hard that she felt the fries burst in her hand. She threw them at the TV with all her might. A few fries stuck to the screen. Uma was looking at it pleased when she felt someone slide into the seat next to her.

“And what’s got your panties in a twist, eh Shrimpy?” 

“Shut the fuck Harry.” Uma said through gritted teeth. Harry Hook was the son of the infamous Captain Hook. He was also Uma’s best friend and first mate. The two had been close since a very young age, ever since their two villainous parents opened up the seafood shop together. He too was forced to work extra shifts. Harry didn’t mind too much though, he was trying to please his dad so her would gift him the boat. Hook had started talking about retiring from being a pirate and it had been Harry’s dream to be the Captain of his own ship. He would do anything to insure that he got Grace, which is what he so fondly named the vessel. Uma ignored Harry’s question, not particularly in the mood for his bullshit. Harry noticed this and decided to try again.

“Come on Shrimpy. Answer the question.”

Uma moved so quickly that Harry didn’t have time to react. She jumped up from her seat and grabbed the pirate by his color. Normally, Harry would have been strong enough to break out of Uma’s trap, but Uma was so mad that she seemed to have gained some more strength. Uma had to stand on her the front of her feet to meet Harry face to face. She looked directly in his bright blue eyes. Uma slowly inch her face closer so that they were only a few inches apart. She clutched the color of his shirt and whispered with anger.

“Don’t ever call me Shrimpy again.” Shrimpy was the unfortunate nick-name that Mal had given her after she dumped of bucket of old shrimp over her head. Granted, she did push Mal off the side of a cliff, but that did not warrant the absolute sin of dumping rotten seafood onto someone’s head. She couldn’t get the smell off her for weeks. Uma could still remember the feel of the shrimp going down her shirt into her pants. She could also remember picking out pieces of shrimp for ages after the incident. She could also remember the daughter of Maleficent pointing at her and singing “ _ Shrimpy Shrimpy _ ” while her other best friends pointed and joined in on the chanting. The nick-name stuck all the way through grade school. Needless to say, it was not a very happy memory.

Harry nodded his head furiously. While Harry liked to poke fun at Uma, he knew that he had hit a sore spot and choose to not anger her further. She really was scary when she got mad. Uma seemed to be satisfied that Harry was effectively shut up as she released his collar. She moved back to her former seat and started sulking, once again. Harry noticed the sudden change in his best friend and slide back into the seat next to her. Harry heard the bell dingle and turned to look and see who it was. In walked Gil, the son of Gaston, and the third best friend of this trio. The two locked eyes and Harry motion for the buff teenager to come over and sit on the chair to the right of Uma. Gil quickly came to the comfort of his friend. This time, when Harry asked what was wrong, he did it with comfort and caring.

“Come on lass. Tell us what’s wrong.”

Uma choose to not answer, instead she glanced up at the TV once more. Mal was still being broadcasted throughout the entire land. The two boys understood. Uma and Mal had never really gotten along. It really stung when Mal got chosen to go to Auradon and Uma had not. It still did. Mal being on TV most of the time had really rubbed salt in the wound. 

“Oh Uma, I’m sorry.” Gil started

“It’s fine. I’m just frustrated. I mean can they show something good or slightly  _ interesting  _ for once.” Uma said with a wet laugh. Both the boys knew that she was trying to make light of a tough situation. They shared a pointed look. This time, it was Harry that spoke.

“Look on the bright side. Now that the annoying quartet is gone we run this island,” Harry tried to reason, “Mal’s gone. And she’s never coming back.” Harry sighed with a hint of sadness in his voice. The tone was missed by Uma, but it definitely wasn’t missed by Gil. GIl gave him a look that said “we’ll talk about this later” but right now, he was focusing his attention on conforming Uma. Gil currently had one arm wrapped arm her shoulders while he was gently stroking her hair. Harry smirked, he always knew that Gil had a bit of a thing for Uma. They deserved happiness, they deserved each other. 

Of course all nice moments must come to and end. Before long, the familiar shriek of her mother’s voice pierced her ears.

“Uma, get your scrawny ass back in here. You break was over thirty-two seconds ago, you good for nothing bum.”

At the same time, Hook’s voice seemed to boom from the kitchen. “You too Harry. Get you apron and get ready to serve.”

Harry moved to get up from the wooden chair he was currently sitting in. He moved to extend his hand to Uma, when he noticed the sad look on her face. She really didn’t need to be dealing with her mother right now. Harry retracted his hand, earning a confused look from Uma. 

“You guys get out of here. Have some fun for once. I’ll take care of them and cover for you,” Harry saw that Gil and Uma made no move to get out of the rickety seats, “Come on now, before I change my mind.” He said with a wave of his hand and a small smile. He continued smiling when he saw Gil grab Uma’s hand and ran out of the shop. When he was certain they were gone, Harry finally moved to the hooks right next to the kitchen door, where his aproned was stationed. He quickly put it on and scrunched up his nose at the offending smell the garment seemed to be eminanting. Thank god her only had to work a forty-five minute shift. Then he had to go do rounds for his father and Uma, but those were always fun. Harry walked into the kitchen, ready to defend his best friend, despite the consequences. 

*

On the other side of the Isle, Mal was doing her best to keep a low profile. The last thing she needed was people alerting the enemies of her mother that she was home. Mal was currently hugging the cold brick wall of some abandoned factory, spray painting her famous emblem. It was a picture of her mother in all her evil glory, with the words  _ Long Live _ written underneath it. On the Isle, and even on Auradon, she was known for this very mark. Mal guessed that about half of all the walls in the Isle were covered with this piece of art, and Mal liked it that way. She took pride in trying to continue her mother’s legacy, especially now that Mal had started to embrace her inner dark side. It took a few minutes for Mal to get the hang of the painting again. She hadn’t been able to practice this in many months and it felt so good to back. Before long, Mal had figured it out and begun finishing the artwork. Mal felt flecks of color go into her hair and on her face as a gust of wind blew by. It didn’t discourage her though, as she was determined to finish.

When Mal was finally done, she chose to spray paint a huge and messy purple M next to her mother’s painting. That way people would know who had done it. Mal smiled at the completed work. It looked amazing, as always. Mal hopped down from the dangerous high ledge she was perched on. She hit the ground with such force that she was thrown forward. Her hands pressed into the sharp ground. Mal groaned slightly. That part was never fun. Mall stood up and brushed the gravel off her outfit and looked at her hands. They had once again been stained with the colors from her cans. However, this time there were pieces of ground lodged into her hands. Mal rolled her eyes. This happened more often than not, but it always was a pain in the ass the remove. She squeezed her eyes shut and yanked the ground of her hand. It was over quickly and barely hurt. Maybe it was because of the amount of times she had to do the very same act. Either way, it didn’t matter to her.

Mal started forward, thinking for a place she could go to. It was still light out and that meant she was in danger of being seen. Sure she was daring enough to spray paint her mark, but she wasn’t careless to be caught out by herself. Mal took a moment to think about where the best place to hang out would be. The restaurants weren’t an option, as they were almost all run by villains. She couldn’t go to the marketplace. She also couldn’t go by the coast. Suddenly an idea crossed her mind. Mal broke out into a grin.

“Perfect.” She thought. She started walking forward, setting a brisk pace. As she went a long, Mal was careful to hug the shadows. Mal continued to walk fast until she reached the spot she was looking for. It was the place that her and Evie would go to every Sunday to get their hair cut and re-dyed. Mal crept over the front door, looking over her shoulder to make sure that no one was following her. When she was finally pleased that she was safe, Mal opened the heavy steel door to reveal the colorful insides, totally disregarding the sign that read  **OPENS AT MIDNIGHT** . Mal stepped in, breathing the familiar scent of hair-dye and soap. She looked around. The place had not changed a bit. It still had splatters of paint on the wall and the broken mirrors. Mal remembered all the times Evie and her would come here and just lounge in the scratched up chairs. Mal took a few steps forward when she saw a person sweeping.

Mal was alarmed at first before she realized who it was. It was DIzzy, the granddaughter of the Evil-stepmother that tortured Cinderella for all those years. Despite being raised by monsters, Dizzy was one of the sweetest girls Mal had ever met. Ever since a young age, Dizzy had taken a liking two the two teenage girls, especially Evie. Mal just stood there, watching the twelve year old sweep for a few moments, smiling as she heard the beat of an upbeat song from Dizzy’s worn headphones. Mal contemplated going over and tapping Dizzy on the shoulder when she heard the young girls excited squeal. Dizzy dropped the broom and the headphones before running over to greet Mal.

“Mal you back!” Dizzy wrapped her arms tighter around Mal’s waist. Dizzy turned to her head upwords to look at Mal’s face, Suddenly, a hopeful look flashed across her face,”Is Evie here with you.” 

Mal hated to break the bad newz to the young girl. Mal started in the gentlest voice she could muster, “Sorry kiddo, it’s just me.” Mal didn’t miss the sadness that twisted Dizzy's face up. In a feeble attempt to make her feel better, Mal started talking about her own hair, “But I’m here, and I desperately need your help.” She said holding a piece of her own artificial locks. This did seem to cheer her up, as she started jumping and clapping her hands excitedly. Dizzy took Mal’s hand and led her own to one of the ratty chairs that Mal used ro spend her entire Sunday in. Dizzy wasted no time in preparing Mal’s hair. She brought out different colored dyes and bleach. Dizzy looked up at Mal with a questioning look on her face.

“Which color.”

Mal pretended to think about the question for a few seconds. She put her figure to her chin and turned her eyes to look up at the ceiling. “Purple.”

“Excellent choice.” Dizzy said with a smile. Then began the long process of bleaching and dying her hair the respective color. She then had to wash out the excess dye multiple times, a step that Dizzy was not very gentle at. Mal found herself being shoved into the water more times than she would’ve liked. She then had to sit and wait for a few hours while her hair dried. However, Dizzy was nice enough to paint her nails for no extra charge. And finally, Dizzy had to cut her hair. It didn’t make it any easier that she used giant shears instead of regular scissors. In fact, Mal was quite nervous to see herself in the mirror. But she was pleasantly surprised when she looked in the shattered mirror and saw a person that closely resembled her old self. Sure the ahir was a little lighter and she now had  _ bangs  _ but this haircut made her feel more powerful.

“Now that’s more like it.” She said as she handed Dizzy a hundred dollar bill. She had no use for it anymore, and Mal figured Dizzy would benefit from the generous amount of cash. Mal just turned around to collect her things when she heard a hauntingly familiar voice.

“Fork it over ya runt.” Mal heard the sound of the cash register opening and she felt her blood boil, “The rest of it.”

Mal didn’t have to turn around to know who that voice belonged to. Harry Hook. Mal felt her green eyes turn vibrant at the very thought of the selfish, narcissistic pirate. In a perfect world, Mal would have chosen to not turn around at all, but alas, it was not a perfect world, and she wouldn't let anyone talk to Dizzly like that. She whirled around and was met with the amused face of one of her biggest enemies. His eyes widened and his mouth split into an evil smirk. 

“My my my, what do when have here. The prissy princess back from Auradon? Oh Uma’s gonna love this.” Harry was doing his best to hide the shock. After all, he hadn’t seen Mal in a few months. He had forgotten how to act around her. He was doing his best to act mean, and he hoped it was working.

Mal stared into Harry’s sea blue eyes. She found that they had no real Malice in them. Se snickered to herself. Of course he would be out doing this for Uma. Guess some things never really change. 

“I see your still doing Uma’s bidding.” Mal said with a cold glare. 

Harry took a few steps forward. He was expecting Mal to back down, or at least make some attempt to get away from him, but she stood her ground and continued to stare into his eyes. Harry raised the hook he had clutches in his left hand. He brought it tooher face and began to play with her hair. When he saw that his attempt at intimidation wasn't working he moved his hook so that the point rested under her chin. “I could hurt you.”When Mal started to move, Harry thought he had finally one, and he was caught off guard when she moved to clutch his hook.

“Not without her permission I bet.” Mal said as she stuck her piece of gum on the end of the mental point. Harry felt his face flush with embarrassment. He highered the pint to his mouth and tore the piece of gum away, making a spectacle to chew it obnoxiously. He made it look like he was walking away to leave when he turned around with his arms outstretched, knocking over empty cans of dye. Mal guessed that he though paint would splatter or something cool, ut all it did was make a ruckus. Mal opened her mouth to remark, but she saw he was already gone. Mal fished in her pursue and promptly produced another hundred dollar bill and handed it to Dizzy, giving the young girl a silent look of an apology before running out.

*

It took Mal almost an hour to get back to her apartment. It really took up a lot of time and energy to stick to the shadows, especially in daylight. Mal was so tired from the days adventures. She was greatly looking forward to just flopping on the couch and relaxing for the rest of the evening. 

Mal entered her room and quickly put her cans of spray paint back on the broken shelf. It really was a miracle that those things could balance at all, but she somehow managed to always do it. That reminded Mal. She really needed some new paint. She had barely made it through the one piece of artwork. She would make sure to do that first thing in the morning.

Mal had nothing left to do , so she started to undress and get ready for the night. Mal had started humming to herself, a thing that she would constantly do to fill the silence. Mal was so busy undressing that she didn’t notice the figure behind her. It didn’t help that they were being eerily silent. Just as Mal was about to take her shirt off, she heard someone loudly clear their throat behind her. Mal jumped about a foot in the air and started shrieking. She was yelling until she heard it speak, in a soothing voice that she knew so well.

“Mal, we need to talk.”  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh a cliffhanger. Comment who you think it might be. Leave a comment and/ or a suggestion about any of the further chapters. See you next time!


	5. Chapter 5

Mal stumbled back and gasped. Out of all the people on the Isle, Mal had never expected to ever see or hear from him. She had absolutely no idea what to do. How the hell did he get in her apartment? It was supposed to be a secret, with a secret way to get in. She had never even brought him up here. She realized that it must have been of her bestfriends who blabbed. She made a mental note to kick their asses if she ever saw them again. Mal was so busy that she didn’t realize the intruder started walking closer to her. She only noticed when she felt his hand grab her wrist and his hot breath hit her cheek. That definitely snapped her back into reality. Mal figured that it was as good of time as every to give a response. She was still in shock, so she gave the only answer she could muster.

“Harry, what the hell are you going here.”

Harry smirked. He had missed her. In his usual snarky fashion, Harry fired back with sarcasm. Well, mostly sarcasm.

“Why, to see you of course.” Harry smiled. His teasing did have a ring of truth to it. Ever since their encounter at the rundown hair salon, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Harry thought he had seen the last of Mal, ever since her betrayal to the Isle was broadcasted on live TV. Harry could remember that day like it was yesterday. 

_ It was a cold day on the Isle. It might have been tolerable elsewhere, but right by the edge of the sea, it was freezing. Harry was working his third shift at Hooks and Horns Sea Food Emporium that day. It was hard, working for his psychotic father but Harry did what he had to do. Hook had just told his entire crew and family that he planned on stepping down from his position of Captain on Grace. He had made it very clear that he would grant the title to who ever sucked up enough. Harry didn’t like it, but he would do anything to be a Captain of the ship he’d been dreaming about sailing since he was a kid. If that meant being his father’s little bitch for a few months, then so be it. But right now, Harry was taking a much needed break. _

_ He sat outside by on a rock, listening to the sounds of waves crashing against the rocks down below. He took a deep breath in, enjoying the salty smell of the sea. He leaned back and enjoyed the feeling of the cold breeze blowing through his unruly curls, thoroughly messing them up further. Harry missed being on the sea. With all of the extra shifts he was taking, he barely got the chance to be on the sea. He missed the rocking of the boat amd the serenity of the vast ocean. If anything, he was land sick. Harry choose not to think about it anymore, if he did, he might throw up. Harry did his best to take his mind off it. He lifted his hand to bring the unlit cigarette to his lips. He brought up the cheap lighter in his other. Smoking had become a bad habit of his in the past few weeks. Ever since his anchor had left for a better place. _

_ With the third attempt at sparking the lighter, a flame had finally appeared. It had Harry sighed in relief. It was about damned time. Harry didn’t know if he could last another moment without taking a puff. He cupped his hand around the stick, blocking the flame from the wind. As soon as he held the lighter to the cig, he immediately sucked in. He felt the smoke swirl in his mouth and tickle his throat. Harry could’ve moaned when he started to feel the nicotine course through him. He parted his lips slightly and let the smoke tumble out. Harry watched in contempt as the smoke blew away. He raised his hand to take another puff. This time he sucked a little too deep and it went down a little to far. Harry started coughing uncontrollably. _

_ Harry smiled with coughing. This happened all to often and he was used to it, “I really need to quit.” He managed to squeeze out before another round of coughs racked through his body. Harry leaned back on the rock again, letting everything around him calm him down. That’s when he heard the familiar sound of the restaurant doors jingle. He looked back, expecting one of his dad’s customers but instead he saw Gil running towards him at full speed. Harry braced himself for impact and was surprised when he felt GIl grab his wrist. _

_ “Come on, they’re on the TV.” _

_ Harry didn’t need to know anymore. Today was the day when the group sent to Auradon would grab hold of Fairy Godmother’s wand and set them all free. It would also be the day he got to see her again. Harry hurriedly got up and followed Gil back into the restaurant. The heat was the first thing that hit him. Next it was the smell of fish. It all suffocated him. It it was for anything else Harry would have gone outside and enjoyed the rest of his break, but this was important. As soon as Harry got in, he sat down right in front of the TV. _

_ Harry watched as he saw his love ride together with the soon to be king. He watched them side together and stand too close to comfort. He watched some frumpy girl from Auradon take the wand instead of his Mal. He watched her hand the wand to the preppy prince. He watched her fight her mom and change her into the size of love in her heart. But worst of all, he watched them choose good instead of evil. Harry’s face fell. He didn’t fully register what that meant until he started to look around the shop. He saw too many pitiful looks cross his way. Harry felt his blood start to burn and a haze of red start to cloud his vision. Harry rose out of his chair and slammed his hook into the splintering wooden table. Harry stomped out of the establishment, totally ignoring his father’s yelling. Only when he was totally out of the public eye, Harry let a tear fall out of his eye. _

Harry shook the bad memory out of his head. Instead, he chose to focus on the girl in front of him. He had a massive bone to pick with her. She had left with a promise that she would be back, and that they would be reunited when she did. He understood that she couldn’t challenge her mother, but he didn’t understand why she left him for the prissy prince. Harry thought they had something special and she had totally disregarded it for someone who had for materials than him. He didn’t think that Mal was that shallow. All the time they spent talking and all the promises they made in secret she had brushed aside like it was nothing. So ya, Harry was a little mad. 

Mal had noticed the shift in mood. Harry’s usually fun loving and funny attitude has changed to something she didn’t recognize. It was dark, dangerous, and hot. Mal knew it wasn’t her place but she had to ask.

“What’s wrong, Harry.” Mal questioned. Harry turned around to glare at her.

“Oh I don’t know Mal, maybe it’s the fact that you totally abandoned me for Auradon. And now your back, with no warning, and you expect me to be happy about it. You did something unforgivable. I didn’t expect you to be so shallow.”

Mal glared at him back. In her short time at Auradon, she had totally forgotten about Harry. She was blinded by the opportunities that Ben could offer her. From the second she saw Hary today, she knew she had made a mistake, but Mal would be damned before she would ever apologize to the likes of Harry Hook. Mal took a step forward and got into Harry’s face. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that you good for nothing pirate.”

Harry took another step forward, putting his face just inches from hers, “And what are you gonna do about it you useless scally dragon.”

Mal took a deep breath in. She smelled something pungent and smokey. It took her a few moments to recognize the smell, she had only smelt in when her mother was extremely stressed about something. When she finally placed it, Mal raised her left brow. Since when did he start smoking. She made a note to ask him later, but now was not exactly an ideal time, and not the ideal position. 

None could muster up enough energy to come up with another retort. They were both painfully aware of how close their faces were. If one were to move their lips slightly, they would brush together. The two teenagers stood in that position for a few painful seconds. It was Mal who decided to make the first move.

“It’s been a while since we were in this position, huh?”

Mal felt Harry smile, “Ya.”

“I missed it.”

“Ya.”

“Wanna do something about it.”

“Ya.”

All in one moment, Harry clasped Mal’s head in between his large hands and brought his lips down to clash against hers. This kiss was a frenzy of emotions that left them both breathless and dizzy. They kissed each other with all the emotions and passion that they had been holding in for the past few months. It was messy, teeth on teeth and their tongues twirled together, getting reacquainted. They didn’t really care that it wasn’t perfect, it was them. Mal pulled away, gasping for air. She looked up into Harry’s irresistible blue eyes and smiled. She put his forehead to hers. She really had missed him. When Harry looked down at her she couldn’t take it anymore. She stood up on her tippy-toes and reached up to kiss him again. This time it was soft and sweet, but still urgent. They kissed for a few minutes before they started stumbling towards Mal’s cot in the far corner of the room. Right now, they didn’t care about anything or anyone, besides each other.

*

Meanwhile, Jay, Carlos, Evie, and Ben were searching all over the Isle for Mal. They were having some problems, considering they were now the reformed kids of Auradon and they have the King by their side. They had left more enemies on the Isle than they did friends. Even before their deflection to Auradon, they had many enemies. Whether they were kids that they relentlessly taunted and teased, or civilians they stole from, people were not pleased to see them. Not only that, but now they also had enemies of their parents to worry about. Even though they were absolutely horrible beings with no regard for their children at all, at least they offered protection.

The small group did their best to stick to the shadows and kept silent, but it was proving to be a challenge. It seemed that the King didn't know anything about sleath or trickery or even being able to walk a few feet without bumping into something. Ben would apologize rather vocally every single time too. It took all of Evie’s strength to not turn around and either cover his mouth or snap his neck. Thank god he was born on Auradon.

It was the fifth time or so that Ben had made a noise, in the past few minutes. It was evident that the VKs had enough. They all share a conversation conveyed entirely through looks. Jay, Evie, and Carlos all knew that this continue on for long without people catching them or recognizing them. The three nodded and Evie walked behind to Ben, who was trailed a few -paces behind the three teenagers. Evie grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to a nearby bench. She then rather forcefully made him sit down, all while he was staring at her with disbelief. 

“Okay Ben, it's great that you wanted to come here to rescue Mal but this isn't working. You’re making unnecessary noises and causing a ruckus. You are going to make us stick out like a sore thumb and then we’re never going to get Mal back. Do you understand” Evie wagged a scolding finger in his face. Ben nodded his head furiously. Ben would do anything to get Mal back at this point,  _ anything. _ “Good, your going to have to fit in better here.”

“How do I do that.” Evie looked at the two boys for help. She could really use it. When she noticed that none of them were making an effort to respond, she shot her best stern look in their directly. She smirked evilly as she saw them uncomfortably squirm. Jay shoved Carlos forward. He stumbled a few steps but quickly recovered himself. Evie raised her brow, losing patience fast. She started tapping her foot, visibly annoyed. Huh, maybe she really was her mother’s daughter. Carlos finally cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak.

“Be more stealthy. You can’t keep bumping into things. That, a sure sign that you don’t belong here. You also can keep apologizing. We don’t apologize on the Isle, especially not for random inconveniences.” Evie nodded her head in agreement. It was a good start. Evie heard another voice pipe up from behind her. This time it was Jay with the suggestions.

“Stop with the good posture, “ he started, “You look like you have a gigantic stick up your ass. Slouch, swagger, just don’t walk like such a priss.” Evie shot him a warning look. Jay just looked back at her and shrugged. Evie couldn’t really disagree with Jay. It did look like Ben walked with a stick in unsavory places. Maybe that’s what was keeping him so stiff. Evie snickered at her own little joke, raising looks of confusion from the three boys surrounding her. She simply cleared her throat and did her best to carry on with the conversation.

“So Ben, do you understand.”

“Ya, I think I do. Who knows, maybe I’ll be chillin’ like a villain soon.” Ben said with a childlike glee. Despite noticing the King’s obvious happiness at the thought, the three VKs couldn’t help but snort at his statement.

Jay, ever the blunt one, said what they were all thinking. “Chillin’ like a villain. That was the stupidest shit I’d ever heard man. Don’t let anyone else catch you saying that. They’ll beat your ass for sure.” He teased while another round of laughter racked through his body. He clutched Carlos for support and both the boys tumbled over one another. Evie felt bad for the King. She noticed how his cheeks and the tops of his ears turned a very slight pink. He lowered his head, as if he was kicked puppy. Evie wondered how he would look when he figured out that Mal didn’t love him anymore. She only imagined it would be ten times worse. Evie walked to where the boys were playing wrestling on the ground. She bent down and grabbed them both by their ears. They had already wasted enough time. And they didn’t have time to lose.

Ben was thinking the exact opposite thing. He was thinking of all the ways he would try and convince Mal to forgive him and come back home. And what to do if she didn't agree. Right about now, she was the only thing keeping him sane. He couldn’t wait to have her back in his arms. Ben walked on smiling, totally unbeknownst the things Mal and a certain pirate were doing at this very moment.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Finally, some mallory. It's about damn time. Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, the next one will be longer. Leave a comment and'or any suggestions you have for upcoming chapter! See you next time.


	6. Chapter 6

Uma and Gil were running around the Isle, doing god knows what. It wasn’t often that the two teens got to do anything fun, let alone together. Their entire lives consisted of their parents lifestyles being shoved down their throats, never giving them the chance to take a break. Sure they enjoyed being evil every now and then but all the time wasn’t healthy. Or fun. That’s why Uma cherished these small moments, especially when they were with Gil.

Right now the two were perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the ocean that separates the Isle from Auradon. Their feet were dangling, swinging along with the wind. Every few minutes large waves would crash underneath them, spraying them with a light salty mist. Uma could feel it coat her body. But hey, it was an improvement from the stench from the restaurant that usually clouded around her. Uma sub-consciously took a whiff of herself and was pleased to find that it was slowly fading. If it was bad, Gil didn’t seem to mind. Uma cracked a small smile and turned her head to look at him.

Gil had a huge smile plastered on his face. Unlike most of the people on the island, Gil didn’t have trouble expressing his happiness. That was one of the things she loved about him. But of course, Uma would never be able to tell him that. Ursula strictly forbid her daughter from being happy, and that meant relationships. Uma smile started to fall as she thought of the sea witch. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. Uma shook her head, long braids hitting her face.  _ Not now, not when we’re so happy. _

Gil noticed the movement and turned to look at the girl beside him. Gil couldn’t recall when he started to notice her as something more than a friend. It was as if one day they we’re throwing the heads of rotten fish at each other, and the next he couldn’t stop staring. Her chocolatey skin and eyes to watch never failed to make him happy. Whatever this feeling was, Gil didn’t mind it. 

He noticed that something seemed off with Uma. Her usual cold mask was replaced with a frown. He hated to see her sad. Gil knew how much Ursula could get to her. Gil wondered if all the added stress she was under was taking an unhealthy toll on his best friend. 

“What’s wrong Uma? Are you still mad about earlier. That whole Mal thing can’t be easy for you. Or is it the thing Harry said. I don’t care if he’s my best friend, I’ll punch his lights out.” Gil rambled on. 

Uma laughed, a sweet sound that Gil loved to hear. In that moment, Gil decided that he would do anything to make sure Uma was happy. Anything to keep her laughing. Uma lifted her hand to cup Gil’s cheek. Her thumb started to slightly stroke the smooth skin underneath. 

“It’s not that Gil. It’s just that…” Uma trailed off, not really knowing what to say, “Um… I don’t know if it's just that- that right now it’s just.” Uma stumbled through her words. If she was being honest, she didn’t even know what was wrong. She could barely understand the perplexing labyrinth that was her own brain, let alone bare her soul to another person. Uma took in another breath, trying to finish her own sentence when she felt Gil’s strong hands grasp her head. It wasn’t a rough motion, more of a gentle cradle. She felt his chest against her forehead, the gentle sound of his heartbeat right by her head. This action alone conveyed a lot more than words could ever express. 

Uma melted into his embrace. They sat there, not moving, not speaking, afraid to disturb the feeling of happiness that overcame the two. Uma just sat there content with the sound of the sea and Gil’s heart beat. Silently pulsing in her ear. Gil sat there content with the feeling of Uma’s soft figure in his arms. It was Uma that dared to speak first. “Gil, tell me a story.”

Gil looked down at her, confused. Never in a million years would he ever expect to hear that from Uma of all people. However, he never expected her to let him embrace her for several minutes too! Gil figured that he might as well go along with it.

“Okay, a story you want, a story you shall get,” Thoughts raced through his mind. He had absolutely no fucking idea what to talk about. Gil figured he might as well just roll with it. Then he got an idea. Gil knew what was wrong with Uma. The story might hurt her, but she needed to hear it. Gil decided to take his chance, “Once upon a time, there lived two people. They were trapped on a small island with bad people and even worse WIFI.” Uma snorted.

“No, I mean it was awful. Very bad. So bad that many people questioned why they had it in the first place. But that really wasn’t the point, so I’ll move along. These two people were best friends. They had been since they were little kids. They did everything together, until one day they didn’t. Their parents hated them together. The parents were mortal enemies, so they thought that the kids should be too. Of course they refused, they loved each other, but the parents didn’t care. And the kids listened, because what else were they supposed to do. So they separated.”

“It started just like separation, it made the kids sad enough, but it didn’t please the parents. Being away from each other wasn’t enough. They had to be mortal enemies too. So the parents made them do things to each other. They refused at first. _We won’t do it_ they would cry. But resistance was met with punishment, so like everyone else on the island, they did it.”

“One of the pushed their friend off the coast of the island. Their parent was very happy. For the first time in the little kids life, the parent complimented them.The one friend went to bed that night crying. They felt so guilty, and woke up the next morning with the intent of apologizing. Hoping to salvage some friendship. They went back to Captain Hook’s pirate ship, right by the cliff. They knew that their best friend would be there. They were there every day, doing business for their villain of a mother.”

“The friend called out,  _ come back! I’m sorry for what I did.  _ They looked around, hoping to see their best friend. Then they felt it. Cold shrimp down their back, in their pants, all over. Then they heard the friend taunting them behind their back. That incident changed them both. From that day on, they were sworn enemies.”

Gil’s story was interrupted by Uma sharply jerking away from him. Gil braced himself for the screaming or perhaps a rough slap across her face. But instead, he was met with her face, twisted up in sadness. His favorite eyes were flooded with tears. A sight that he didn’t like to see, but Gil knew Uma needed this. Gil took a deep breath in, as to continue with the story. He was monetarily caught off guard when he felt the long awaited slap against his left cheek. To think that only a few minutes ago Uma was stroking it. But not now. All he could feel was the sting of her hand across his cheek. Gil guessed he deserved it.

“How could you? Why did you have to ruin the one nice moment we had together. How  _ could  _ you?” Uma stood up, clutching her chest tightly, most likely wrinkling her shirt. At this moment she didn’t care. All she could focus on was the pain in her heart and not letting her tears fall. How could she have been so stupid? Every time she tried to open up to someone, it always backfired. Always. Uma was so preoccupied that she didn’t see Gil reaching for her wrist.

Uma snapped out of it when she felt his strong hands lightly graze her wrist. Uma quickly yanked it away. She quickly stood up from the pier. Uma really wasn’t in the mood for listening to what Gil had to say now. Uma walked at a brisk pace, determined to get away from him as fast as possible. She brushed past civilians and their possessions, not caring that she was receiving dirty looks. 

Gil stood up slowly, knowing to not push Uma right now by going after her.. He may have crossed a line, but it was something that Uma needed to hear. Gil had seen the look on her face when she saw her watch Mal on the TV. It wasn't because she was jealous. She had missed her best friend from all those years ago. Gil had no regrets about the encounter, he only wished that he was able to finish his story. Maybe then Uma would understand.

Uma continued walking until she got to a secluded corner of some abandoned factories. She was barely holding in the tears. Uma took a deep breath in, letting the cool air enter her lungs. She had barely been able to breath. It felt like her lungs had been ripped from her chest. The burning had spread throughout her entire body. Uma suddenly had the urge to heave, but refrain. It was something she refused to do while in public.

“After all, I have a reputation to uphold.” Uma muttered with a small, defeated chuckle. Out of the corner of her eye, Uma spotted a ladder perched against what seemed a small ledge. Curiosity took over her, and she went over to see where it led. Uma ascended up to ladder carefully, not wanting to fall. There was hard pavement underneath the ladder. Just like everything and everyone on the small island, it was cold and hard. Uma really didn’t want to fall. She stared at her feet, concentrating on her footing. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the abandoned can of spray paint.

Uma took the last step up the stairs, finally coming to contact with the ledge. She looks up, taking in the scenery. From the right angle, one could find some beauty. Uma was in desperate search of it. Anything to take her mind off the incident that occurred no more than an hour earlier. That’s when she smelled it. Fresh paint.

Uma turned around, looking away from the view of the island, instead choosing to crane her neck upward. Uma felt her stomach twist and had the sudden urge to heave again. She figured out where the smell was coming from, the large picture painted against the brick walls. Uma reached out to touch it. It was still wet. She was here. 

That’s when Uma really started to cry.

*

Mal and Harry were laid down in her cot. They had shed off the first layer of their clothing, so they were clad in only their undergarments. They hadn’t taken that extra step yet, not when Mal had just gotten back. Instead, the pair settled for cuddling, with the occasional kiss here and there. They were content with skin on skin, the intimacy of just being together. 

Mal shifted from her position in Harry’s arms, just so she could get a good look at him. He hadn’t changed much in the time she was gone. His hair was still that unruly brown that she loved to run her fingers through. It had grown a bit longer, expanded his curls. Mal definitely did not mind the change. His body was always firm. He was lean, not burly like Gil, but still muscly. His skin had gotten tanner. It was sun-kissed, giving him the look of some who spent hours in the sun. Mal guessed he did. She knew he had always loved the sea, with him being raised by pirates and all.

The bed squeaked slightly as Harry moved to grip her waist tighter. Both of his arms encased her, not daring to let go. One was around her waist, bringer her closer to him. The other was draped over her shoulder. He was lazily drawing patterns on her smooth skin. Mal had always been pale, but her time in Auradon had done her good. She had gained a little color. Not as much as Harry, but enough that she didn’t look quite so translucent. 

Mal stared into his sea blue eyes. She had always loved staring into them. Little flecks of green and grey were spread around them. If she looked hard enough, she could see the entire sea, just by looking at Harry. Mal took a deep breath in. She once again smelled the smoke on his skin. Mal remembered that she had wanted to ask him about it. She figured now was a good of a time as ever. 

“When did you start smoking?”

Harry turned his head so he was looking her directly in the face. His face split into a teasing grin.

“Smelling me now, eh?” 

“No, Harry I’m serious,” Mal said with a pointed look.

“Fine, if you want to know. I was right about when you left.”

“Why?”

Harry took a deep breath in, as if to start a long story, “I don’t really know. I think that it calms me down. Like when my dad’s yelling at me and I get angry, I would usually come to you. But then you were gone. So I took a stash and light up. It calmed me down. And then you decide to stay, so it continued. It was an unhealthy way to cope. Pretty sad, I know.”

Mal felt awful. He had started because of her. When Mal left the Isle, she never thought she would be hurting Harry. Mal once again turned to look at Harry. He was purposely looking away from her. Mal could feel his defensive walls coming up again. And she wouldn’t have it.

Mal sat up, letting the stiff sheets fall away from her, exposing her toned stomach. She leaned over a few inches, right over Harry. She lifted up her legs to shifted her weight. She put both of her legs on his sides, straddling him. She took his face in both her hands and once again took a deep whiff. 

“You know what, I think I like it. It makes you smell good. Like smoke, sea, and…” Mal made a show of leaning in close and breathing in. She put a finger to her chin and looked at him confused. She was doing her best to make him laugh. Mal finally placed the scent, “Mint.”

Harry looked at the girl on top of him. God she really was beautiful. With her long legs were wrapped around him, and it took all of his willpower not to just take her right there and then. He refrained, however, He wasn’t going to rush in and ruin something, not when he had just gotten her back. Instead, he chose to admire her some more.

She was perfect. Like an angel descended down from heaven. She had changed her hair. He remembered her on the TV. She had been blonde, but now her long locks were back to her signature purple. Although Harry would always think Mal looked beautiful, purple definitely suited her more. The way it fell to the small of her back, swaying slightly with each movement, made him want to run his hands through it and never stop. Harry smiled to himself. The best part, was he could if he wanted too.

Mal smiled when she saw he did. Mal loved his smile, not his smirk or grin, but his genuine smile of happiness. Mal decided right then that she does everything in her power to keep him smiling. He deserved happiness. 

“What are you smiling at.”

“I’m smiling because you’re smiling.”

“I’m smiling because you make me happy.”

Mal blushed a deep red that brushed her cheeks and the tips of her ears. “Good, because you make me happy too.”

That was enough for Harry. He grabbed her chin with his hands and brought his lips to hers. Unlike their first kiss, this one wasn’t so urgent. It was slow and sweet. Harry focused all of his emotions for the girl in this one kiss. It wasn’t quite soft and gentle, yet it wasn’t hard and messy. Harry kissed his girl firmly, with enough passion that Mal felt butterflies swarm in her belly. It was perfect, it was them.

However, the kiss quickly got more heated. Harry moved his hands so that once was placed on her curve, with the other still cradled her face. Mal moved her hands to to grasp his shoulder. Harry rolled hi ships into hers, causing a bit of friction between the two. Mal sighed into his mouth and Harry used this as an opportunity to thrust his tongue into her mouth. Mal sighed.

Harry took his time reacquainted with every nook and cranny of her mouth. But they had time. The two teenagers fell back on the bad totally content with relearning each other. Right now, all that mattered was that they were reunited. They would deal with the rest later.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a comment and/ or suggestion for the following chapter. See you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first fanfic so I apologize, I'm new to this whole thing. Please comments what you think and/ or any suggestions you have for the upcoming chapters.


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